– President Carter slaps Amnesty International for backing ‘slave masters’

“It’s inconceivable to me that Amnesty International or any other organization that respects human rights would endorse slave masters… and when they go and do this with brothel owners and pimps, to me that violates the basic principle of human rights.” (Jimmy Carter, 39th President of the United States, May 3, 2014)

In a strongly worded letter addressed on Monday May 5 to Amnesty International Secretary-General Salil Shetty (http://on.fb.me/1fVWLVr), President Carter pushed the organization and its members worldwide to reject AI’s proposed policy to have pimps, brothel-owners and “johns” decriminalized.

Making good on a promise he made Saturday May 3 on the Women’s Media Center Live with Robin Morgan radio program, the author of “A Call to Action: Women, Religion, Violence, and Power” (Simon & Schuster, March 2014) not only sent and published an Open Letter to AI, but Ms. Morgan reports that he “sent it with a request that it be shared with every AI Member worldwide.” The Examiner reports that Carter said he would make it a mission of his to get the international human rights group to change course.

The Nordic model In it, he writes: “…After reviewing many of the approaches that have been tried and studied, I have concluded that the most important policy change will be to increase penalties for pimps and consumers and to decriminalize victims and survivors. The line between consensual and exploitative sex work has become almost meaningless, and too many people are lured and trapped into this way of life.”

President Carter added in this letter: “I have decided to raise my voice in favor of what is known as the ‘Nordic model’”, adding that his Carter center will be working with other organizations to convene a major gathering in the coming year on this issue, “and I would like to invite Amnesty to appoint representatives to consult with our team on this.”